Aides to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are reportedly using a do-it-yourself electoral map website to help plot a winning strategy.

An article published on Sunday by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman, Ashley Parker, Jeremy W. Peters and Michael Barbaro reveals how Trump is requiring “constant assurance that his candidacy is on track” in the final days of his campaign.

“In the final days of the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump’s candidacy is a jarring split screen: the choreographed show of calm and confidence orchestrated by his staff, and the neediness and vulnerability of a once-boastful candidate now uncertain of victory,” the report says.

Aides acknowledged to the reporters that Trump’s recent good behavior may not be enough to save his campaign.

“But they maintain that there is unseen money and muscle behind his political operation — and a level of sophistication that outsiders, and people who have run traditional campaigns, cannot fully appreciate,” according to the Times. “At times, however, that is hard to detect.”

The article describes aides plotting to win the election with a strategy that “seemed more atmospheric than scientific.”

Over a cheeseburger, fried calamari and an “Ivanka Salad” at the Trump Grill in the basement of Trump Tower last week, several aides flipped open a laptop and loaded the popular website 270towin.com, which allows users to create their own winning electoral maps.

For 10 minutes, they clicked through the country, putting Democratic-leaning states won by Mr. Obama four years ago, like New Mexico and Colorado, into Mr. Trump’s column.

“You can go to Pennsylvania,” campaign digital director Brad Parscale told the Times. “You can almost slice the excitement with a knife. You can feel it in the air there.”

The 270towin.com website currently gives Hillary Clinton a 252-163 advantage over Trump in the Electoral College.

About the Author

David Edwards has served as an editor at Raw Story since 2006. His work can also be found at Crooks & Liars, and he's also been published at The BRAD BLOG. He came to Raw Story after working as a network manager for the state of North Carolina and as as engineer developing enterprise resource planning software. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidEdwards.